ES2540749T3 - Frozen confectionery products with low total solids content and their production procedures - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a frozen confectionery product having a total solids content of 5 to 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product and a sponge of less than 20%, the method comprising: a) preparing a dispersion comprising: % to 75% by weight of frozen particles having an average size of 1 to 10 mm and an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less; and 75% to 25% by weight of a mixture; b) subsequently cool the dispersion to below -10 ° C.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Frozen confectionery products with low total solids content and their production procedures

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to frozen confectionery products, in particular frozen confectionery products having very low solids contents and processes for producing them.

Background of the invention

Sorbets, fruit ice cream, milk ice cream and similar confectionery products are popular products. These types of frozen confectionery products are basically prepared with water and sugar, along with other ingredients such as fruits, dairy solids, dyes, flavorings, stabilizers and acidifying agents. Solids (that is, all ingredients other than water), most of which is sugar, generally constitute 15 to 25% of the frozen confectionery product.

There is currently a consumer demand for frozen confectionery products that contain reduced amounts of sugar, for example, because of health problems related to dental health, obesity, and diseases such as type 2 diabetes. The importance Limiting the sugar content in a healthy diet has recently been highlighted by a Joint Committee of WHO / FAO Experts (see “Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases” - Report of a Consultation to a Joint Committee of Experts of the WHO / FAO, WHO Technical Report Series 916, WHO, Geneva, 2003). Simply by lowering the sugar content (and therefore the total solids content) of frozen confectionery products, products that are hard and covered with ice are obtained. Such products are generally not appreciated by the consumer. It is also possible to make softer products by incorporating large amounts of air, but consumers generally prefer sorbets and milk ice cream with little or no sponge.

US 5 738 889 discloses a deformable iced confectionery product comprising flattened ellipsoidal ice particles. Supposedly the ellipsoidal particles allow a high volume of ice while the product retains its deformable properties. However, producing said ellipsoidal particles is inconvenient on an industrial scale. US 5 698 247 discloses a frozen sorbet, which can be taken with a spoon produced by manufacturing ice granules at a temperature of -10 ° C or less and mixing the ice granules with a suspension of flavored ice. However, making ice granules at -10 ° C or less is also inconvenient on an industrial scale. On the other hand, frozen sorbets exemplified in US 5 738 889 and US 5 698 247 contain approximately 20% sugar, typical of conventional sorbets. Therefore, there is still a need for improvement of frozen confectionery products with a low sugar content and procedures for producing them.

Essays and definitions

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this document have the same meaning as commonly understood by an ordinary person skilled in the art (for example, in the production of frozen confectionery). Definitions and descriptions of various terms and techniques used in the production of frozen confectionery are found in "Ice Cream" sixth edition, Robert T. Marshall, Douglas H. Goff and Richard

W. Hartel (2003), Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers. All percentages, unless otherwise indicated, refer to the percentage by weight, with the exception of the percentages cited in relation to sponge.

Total solids content

The total solids content of a frozen confectionery product is the dry weight of the product, that is, the sum of the weights of all ingredients other than water, expressed as a percentage of the total weight. It is measured by the oven drying procedure as described in "Ice Cream", sixth edition, Marshall et al. (2003) p296.

Sponge

The sponge is defined by the following equation:

image 1

This is measured at atmospheric pressure. Total ice content The total ice content is measured by adiabatic calorimetry as described by De Cindio and Correra in

Journal of Food Engineering (1995) 24 pp. 405-415. Calorimetric techniques, particularly calorimetry

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adiabatic, have proven to be the most appropriate, since they can be used in complex food systems and do not require any other information about food, such as composition data, unlike some of the other techniques. The large size of the measured sample (80 g) allows the measurement of heterogeneous samples as claimed.

Frozen particle size and elongation ratio

Frozen particles are three-dimensional objects, often of an irregular shape. However, the procedures for visualizing and measuring said particles are often two-dimensional (see below). Consequently, measurements are often made only in one or two dimensions and become the required measurement. The size of a particle can be calculated from a measurement of the size of the area assuming a regular form for the particle and calculating the size or volume on that basis. By "area size", it is intended to indicate the maximum area as seen in the image plane (ie when viewed using optical images). Generally, the regular form assumed is a sphere and, therefore, the size is 2 x √ (area size / π). The elongation ratio is defined as the ratio between the maximum and minimum diameters observed in the image plane. The distributions of the frozen particle size and the elongation ratio of a frozen product can be measured as follows.

Sample Preparation

All equipment, reagents and products used in the sample preparation were equilibrated at the measuring temperature (-10 ° C) for at least 10 hours before use. A 10 g sample of the frozen confectionery product is taken and added to 50 cm3 of a dispersion solution consisting of 20% ethanol in aqueous solution, and gently stirred for 30 seconds or until the sample has completely dispersed in individual particles. The aqueous ethanol dispersion solution can be designed to match the measurement conditions of the experimental system: see Concentration properties of aqueous solutions: conversion tables in “Manual of Chemistry and Physics”, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA The total ice / ethanol / water mixture is then gently poured into a 14 cm Petri dish, ensuring complete transfer and gently shaking again to ensure a homogeneous dispersion of the ice particles in the plate. After 2 s (to allow the cessation of particle motion) an image of the entire plate is captured. Ten repeated samples are taken for each product.

Obtaining Images

The images can be acquired with a domestic digital camera (for example, JVC KY55B), with its macro-lens assembly as supplied. The camera is selected to provide sufficient magnification to obtain a reliable image of particles with an area size of 0.5 mm2 to more than 50 mm2. To obtain the image, the Petri dish containing the sample is placed on a black background and illuminated at a low angle (Schott KL2500 LCD) to allow frozen particles to be easily visualized as bright objects.

Analysis

Image analysis was performed using Carl Zeiss Vision KS400 image analysis software (Imaging Associates Ltd, 6 Avonbury Business Park, Howes Lane, Bicester, OX26 2UA) to determine the size of the area of each particle in the image. User intervention is required to remove from the image: the edge of the Petri dish, air bubbles, coincidentally connected frozen particles and any residual non-dispersed material. Of these characteristics, only the apparent connection between the frozen particles is relatively frequent. The 10 samples taken allow the dimensioning of at least 500, and generally several thousand particles for each characterized product. From this image analysis it is possible to calculate the interval and the average of the diameters of the frozen particles and the elongation ratio.

Measurement of mechanical properties

The standard four-point bending test can be used to determine a number of mechanical properties of frozen confectionery products, including Young's (apparent) modulus and flexural strength. In a flexural test, a test piece is deformed while measuring the applied resistance and the deviation of the test piece. The general test applied to all types of solids is described in “Biomechanics Materials. A practical approach “Ed. J.F.V. Vincent, Pub. IRL Press, Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford, 1992 and "Manual of Plastic Test Materials" Ed. R.P. Brown, Pub. George Godwin Limited, The Builder Group, 1-3 Pemberton Row, Fleet Street, London, 1981.

The test piece for the 4-point bending test is a rectangular bar with parallel sides of frozen confectionery product. This can be obtained by using aluminum molds that produce bars having the dimensions 25 x 25 x 200 mm, as follows. The dispersion of the frozen particles and the mixture is poured into a mold that has been pre-cooled to -25 ° C. The filled mold is then placed in an ultrafast freezer freezer at -35 ° C for at least 2 hours. The samples are demoulded and stored at -25 ° C until the test. At least 18-24 hours before the test, the samples are equilibrated by placing them in a freezer at -18 ° C, the temperature at which the test is performed.

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In the test, the bar is placed on 2 lower supports (separated by 85 mm and placed symmetrically around the center of the bar length). The lower supports move upward so that the upper surface of the bar comes into contact with two upper supports (separated by 170 mm and also located symmetrically around the center of the bar length) as shown in Figure 1. The bar bends by continuing to move the lower supports up until it fractures. The resistance applied in flexion and the displacement of the mobile contact is recorded throughout the test. The upload speed of the mobile supports is 50 mm per minute.

A schematic set of data for a frozen confectionery product is shown in Figure 2. The apparent (elastic) Young's modulus, E, is determined from the gradient of the initial linear part of this curve:

image2

where the gradient is shown in Figure 2, L is the length between the upper supports under the test bar (170 mm in these tests), B is the width of the bar (25 mm) and D is the depth of the bar (25 mm). The flexural strength, S, is determined from the maximum strength, Fmax:

image3

For each set of samples a minimum of 5 bars is tested and the average value is given for each set of samples.

Brief Description of the Invention

Surprisingly, it has now been discovered that soft frozen confectionery products having a low solids content can be obtained when most of the ice is present as approximately large spherical particles. Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a process for manufacturing a frozen confectionery product having a total solids content of 5 to 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product and a sponge of less than 20%, comprising The procedure:

a) preparing a dispersion comprising: 25% to 75% by weight of frozen particles having an average size of 1 to 10 mm and an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less; and 75% to 25% by weight of a mixture; b) subsequently cool the dispersion to below -10 ° C.

Preferably, at least 80% by weight, more preferably at least 90%, of the frozen particles have a size of 1 to 10 mm. Preferably, the frozen particles have an average size of 2 to 5 mm. Preferably, the total solids content of the frozen particles is less than 5% by weight; more preferably the frozen particles are ice. Preferably, the total solids content of the mixture is 15 to 40% by weight. Preferably, in step b) the dispersion is cooled below -18 ° C.

In one embodiment, in step a) the dispersion is formed by preparing the frozen particles and mixing together, as in a batch freezer.

In another embodiment, in step a) the frozen particles and the mixture are prepared separately and then combined to form the dispersion.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a frozen confectionery product having a total solids content of 5 to 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product, a sponge of less than 20%, and a Young's modulus of less than 150 MPa at -18 ° C; the frozen confectionery product comprising frozen particles having an average size of 1 to 10 mm and an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less, in an amount of 25 to 75% by weight of the frozen confectionery product.

Preferably, the frozen particles have an average size of 2 to 5 mm. Preferably, the total solids content of the frozen particles is less than 5% by weight; more preferably the frozen particles are ice. Preferably, the solids content of the frozen confectionery product is 8 to 12% by weight. Preferably, the sponge is less than 10%. Preferably, the ice content of the frozen confectionery product is greater than 80% by weight. Preferably Young's modulus is less than 120 MPa at -18 ° C.

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Preferably, the frozen confectionery product has a resistance of less than 0.5 MPa at -18 ° C.

In a related aspect, the present invention provides frozen confectionery products that can be obtained by the process of the invention and which are obtained by the process of the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

Frozen confectionery product

The frozen confectionery product has a total solids content of less than 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product, preferably less than 14%, more preferably less than 12%, most preferably less than 10%. The lower the total solids content (and therefore the sugar content), the more attractive the product is to consumers aware of health issues. Frozen confectionery products that have these low total solids contents have ice contents at -18 ° C of at least about 80% and can be up to 85% or more. The frozen confectionery product has a total solids content of at least 5%, preferably at least 7%, more preferably at least 8% by weight of the frozen confectionery product, in order to provide a product that has a sweetness and taste acceptable. The frozen confectionery product has a sponge of less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5%.

Despite their low solids content and low sponge, the frozen confectionery products according to the invention are surprisingly soft. Frozen confectionery products of the invention have a Young's modulus and strength less than those of identically formulated confectionery products produced by conventional process routes. The frozen confectionery products of the invention have (at -18 ° C) a Young's modulus of less than 150 MPa, preferably less than 120 MPa, more preferably less than 100 MPa and a resistance of generally less than 0.5 MPa, preferably less than 0.35 MPa, more preferably less than 0.25 MPa.

Mixture

The mixture is a non-frozen solution and / or suspension. Preferably, the mixture has a total solids content of at least 15% by weight of the mixture, more preferably at least 20%. Preferably the mixture also has a solids content of less than 40%, more preferably less than 30% by weight of the mixture. When the mixture has a solids content in this range, the corresponding amount of frozen particles required to produce a final frozen confectionery product with a solids content of less than 15% is within a convenient range, that is, approximately 25% at 75% by weight of frozen confectionery product.

The mixtures normally contain, in addition to water and sugars, ingredients that are conventionally found in sorbets, fruit poles and milk ice creams, such as fruit (for example, in the form of fruit juice or fruit puree), dairy solids, dyes , flavors, stabilizers and acidifying agents. The term "sugars" is understood to include monosaccharides (for example, dextrose, fructose), disaccharides (for example sucrose, lactose, maltose), oligosaccharides containing 3 to ten monosaccharide units linked by a glycosidic bond (eg, maltotriose ), corn syrups with a dextrose equivalent (SD) of at least 10 and sugar alcohols (for example, erythritol, arabitol, xylitol, sorbitol, glycerol, mannitol, lactitol and maltitol). Of the ingredients present in frozen confectionery products, sugars provide most of the freezing point depression and, therefore, determine the ice content of the confectionery product. In formulations of simple frozen confectionery products, such as basic sorbets, the solids content is essentially made up of sugars, with only small amounts of other ingredients (for example, dyes, aromas, stabilizers). Non-sugar ingredients have only a very small effect of freezing point depression, since they are only present in small quantities first, and secondly, they are generally molecules of molecular weight higher than sugars. In more complex formulations, such as milk ice cream and fruit popsicles, non-sugar ingredients constitute a larger proportion of total solids. Thus, for example, milk ice creams contain a significant amount of milk protein and fruit poles may contain fruit puree fiber. Such mixtures can be prepared by conventional procedures known in the art.

Frozen particles

The frozen particles have a low total solids content, preferably less than 5% by weight of the frozen particles, more preferably less than 1%. In a preferred embodiment, the frozen particles are ice. In another embodiment, a small amount of solids may be present, so that, for example, the frozen particles are flavored or colored. In this case, the total solids content is less than 0.5% by weight, preferably less than 0.1% by weight. The lower the solids content of the frozen particles, the lower the solids content of the final product for a given total solids content of the mixture. Thus, when it is desired to produce frozen products that have a particularly low total solids content (such as less than 10%), the frozen particles must be chosen so that they have a

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solids content at the lower end of the specified range (for example, less than 1%), so that the amount of frozen particles required is not too high in relation to the amount of mixing.

The frozen particles in the frozen confectionery product have an average size of at least 1 mm, preferably at least 1.5 mm, more preferably at least 2 mm. Preferably its average size is less than 10 mm, more preferably less than 7 mm, most preferably less than 5 mm. Frozen particles of this size result in a soft product and are convenient for processing. It is preferable that the frozen particles are relatively uniform in size. Frozen particles are approximately spherical, so it is understood that they have an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less, preferably 1.3 or less.

Frozen particle dispersion and mixing

In one embodiment, the dispersion is prepared by producing the frozen particles and mixing them, for example in a batch freezer. Ice crystals are generated in the freezer, usually on a refrigerated surface. Ice crystals are initially small (0.1 mm or less). By keeping the solution partially frozen in the freezer at a relatively hot temperature (for example, -2 or -3 ° C), recrystallization occurs. Recrystallization is a procedure in which a large number of small ice crystals are transformed into a smaller number of large crystals in order to reduce the total surface area (and therefore the total energy), without changing the total amount of ice.

Thus, over a period of time, the average size of the ice crystals increases. Recrystallization can be accelerated by temperature fluctuations. A suitable type of batch refrigerator for the preparation of frozen particles and their mixing by this procedure is a slush machine or slush machine. The slush machines consist essentially of a tank or tank that contains a cooling element. Ice is formed on the surface of the cooling element and then separated by a rotating screw that also gently agitates the mixture. A number of different slush machines are commercially available, for example, the MultiFreeze 228 / Vip (Electro Freeze Ltd, Eastleigh, Hampshire, United Kingdom) and the Penguin Slush Machine (Promek Srl, Turate, Italy). Alternatively, the frozen particles and the mixture can be prepared together by recrystallization in an aging tank as described in JP 06 / 189.686. In this embodiment, the resulting frozen particles consist essentially of ice, are round (approximately spherical) in shape and are transparent in appearance. The optically transparent nature of the particles in frozen confectionery products results in an attractive visual impact for consumers and their rounded shape results in a pleasant mouthfeel.

In another embodiment, the frozen particles and the mixture are prepared separately and subsequently combined to form the dispersion. This procedure has the advantage that frozen particles do not necessarily have to be ice. For example, frozen particles can be produced from water or aqueous solutions / suspensions by freezing drops in a drum freezer; by direct immersion of droplets in liquid nitrogen, for example, as described in EP-A-1348341; by forming frozen particles in molds; or by using a fragmented ice machine such as the Ziegra Ice Machine ZBE 4000-4, ZIEGRA-Eismaschinen GmbH, Isernhagen, Germany - a fragmented ice machine is described in US 4 569 209.

The dispersion can be produced either by adding frozen particles of the required size, or alternatively by initially adding larger particles to the mixture and subsequently mechanically reducing the size of these particles to the required size. Said step of subsequent size reduction provides a convenient method of ensuring that the frozen particles in the frozen confectionery product have an average size within the preferred ranges. The size reduction step can be performed by passing the particles through a constriction of the required size (i.e., 1 to 10 mm), for example, a pump comprising an outlet of this size and / or parallel plates separated by this distance, in which one of the plates rotates with respect to the other. A suitable device (a crushing pump) that allows the reduction of particle size in line is described in WO 2006/007922.

In order that most of the ice in the frozen confectionery product is present in the form of large frozen particles, the dispersion preferably contains the least possible small particles; in particular, there are few small particles (for example, less than 0.5 mm), since the presence of such small particles in the dispersion at the start of step b) of the process of the invention results in frozen confectionery products hard. Preferably substantially all particles frozen in the dispersion have a size of 1 to 10 mm. The phrase "substantially all" means at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, most preferably at least 95% by weight of the ice is in the form of large frozen particles, so that little, if any, is present in Shape of small ice crystals. For the same reason, it is preferable that the mixture is not partially frozen to form an ice suspension (unlike the procedure described in US 5 698 247 in which the ice granules are mixed with an ice suspension).

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When frozen particles are produced by recrystallization, small particles are inherently reduced / eliminated. However, if the procedure for producing the frozen particles results in a significant number of small particles (such as if a size reduction step is used or if the mixture is partially frozen to form an ice suspension), it should be include an additional process step in order to eliminate or reduce its number, for example, by sieving, or by recrystallization (see, for example, example 7 below).

When the frozen particles and the mixture are prepared separately, they are subsequently combined. They can be combined by mixing them in any suitable way, for example, by introducing the frozen particles through a fruit feeder into the mixture. The frozen particles are preferably at a temperature of about -0.5 ° C or less when combined with the mixture, which is preferably at a temperature of about 3 ° C or less. The temperature difference between the frozen particles and the mixture should not be too large, that is, less than about 10 ° C, preferably less than 5 ° C in order to avoid melting the frozen particles.

The frozen particles constitute at least 25%, more preferably at least 30%, more preferably at least 40% by weight of the frozen confectionery product. The higher the amount of frozen particles as a percentage of the frozen confectionery product, the lower the solids content of the frozen confectionery product for a given solids content of the mixture. For example, the addition of 50% of ice particles means that the total solids content of the frozen confectionery product is half of the mixture. The frozen particles constitute a maximum of 75%, preferably a maximum of 70%, more preferably a maximum of 60% by weight of the frozen confectionery product. It has been found that it is difficult to obtain a product in which the frozen particles are uniformly dispersed in the mixture when the frozen particles are present in larger quantities.

The total solids content of the frozen confectionery product (TS confectionery product) is given by:

image4

where TSmix is the total solids content of the mixture, TSparticles is the total solids content of the particles (which is zero if the particles are pure ice) and f is the amount of frozen particles expressed as a percentage by weight of the product of frozen confectionery. Below are some examples of suitable values.

TSmix

TSparticles F TSprod. confectionery

13

0 38 8

16

0 fifty 8

16

3 62 8

fifteen

0 33 10

fifteen

5 fifty 10

25

0 60 10

Preferably, the dispersion is not subjected to deliberate steps such as shaking to increase the sponge. However, it will be appreciated that during the preparation of non-aerated frozen confectionery products, low levels of air (less than 20% sponge) can be incorporated into the product.

Post cooling stage

After preparing the dispersion of the frozen particles and the mixture, the temperature is lowered below 10 ° C, for example -18 ° C to -25 ° C (typical storage temperature). For this step, the dispersion of the particles and the frozen mixture can be placed in molds and sticks can be inserted. The cooling step may be a conventional hardening step, such as ultrafast freezing (for example -35 ° C), before storage.

Since the dispersion prepared in step a) of the process of the invention already contains a large amount of ice, only a relatively small amount of ice is formed in step b) of subsequent cooling. As a result, the size of the frozen particles does not change significantly during stage b). It has been found that the resulting frozen confectionery products are very soft considering their high ice content.

The present invention will now be described further with reference to the following figures and examples that are only illustrative and not limiting, in which:

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Figure 1 shows an established scheme for the four-point bending test. Figure 2 shows a schematic force displacement curve in the four-point bending test for a frozen confectionery product. Figure 3 shows images of frozen confectionery products.

Examples

Examples 1A-5A are various frozen confectionery products (sorbets, milk ice cream and fruit poles) according to the invention. Comparative examples 1B, 2B, 4B, 5B and 1C to 5C are frozen confectionery products with the same formulation as examples 1A to 5A, respectively, but prepared according to conventional procedures. In each example, the mixtures were produced as follows.

All ingredients except flavor and acids (when used) were combined in a stirred heated mixing tank and subjected to high shear mixing at a temperature of 65 ° C for 2 minutes. The resulting mixture was passed through a homogenizer at 150 bar and 70 ° C, pasteurized at 83 ° C for 20 s and then rapidly cooled to 4 ° C using a plate heat exchanger. The flavor and acids (when used) were added to the mixture, which was carried out at 4 ° C in a stirred tank for approximately 4 hours before freezing.

Examples 1A-5A were produced by freezing in batches in a slush machine. Comparative examples 1B, 2B, 4B and 5B were produced by a conventional process route, freezing at rest in molds. Comparative examples 1C to 5C were produced by another conventional process route, freezing in a continuous milk ice cream freezer (scraped surface heat exchanger). The details of the procedure are as follows.

A: Batch freezing in a slush machine

The mixture was placed in a Penguin slush machine (examples 1A and 2A) or an Electrofreeze MultiFreeze 228 / Vip (examples 3A, 4A and 5A). Stirring / scratching and cooling were connected, thereby cooling the mixture and generating small ice crystals. The slush machine automatically controls the temperature by changing the on / off cooling in order to keep the torque on the stir / scratch element within a set range. The samples were frozen in the slush machine for at least 24 hours, so that the ice particles were approximately 2-4 mm in size. The final temperature of the mixtures was approximately -2 to -3 ° C. The samples were then extruded in pre-cooled molds and hardened at -25 ° C. The amount of large ice particles in the frozen confectionery product depends on the temperature of the mixture in the slush machine: the lower the temperature (for a given formulation), the greater the amount of ice formed in the slush machine, all of which They are substantially in the form of large ice particles. In Examples 1A-5A, large ice particles constituted 55 to 60% by weight of the frozen confectionery product. As a result, the mixture was concentrated in a factor of 100 / (100-55), that is, approximately 2.3.

B: Freezing at rest

The non-frozen mixture was poured into pre-cooled molds and frozen at -25 ° C.

C: Continuous freezing in an ice cream freezer

The mixture was passed through an MF75 Technohoy freezer at 0.5 liters per minute with a whisk speed of 400 rpm. The extrusion temperature was chosen such that the partially frozen mixture contained enough ice in the freezer extrusion so that it could be easily filled in the molds. The samples were extruded in pre-cooled molds and hardened at -25 ° C.

Example 1: Sorbet

A mixture was prepared with the following formulation:

Table 1

Ingredient

% in weigh

Saccharose

6.3

Dextrose

1.8

Locust bean gum

0.2

Colors

0.25

Flavors

0.08

Citric acid

0.45

Hyfoama DS *

0.15

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Ingredient

% in weigh

Water

up to 100

Total solids

9.1

Ice content at -18 ° C

91

Hyfoama DS is an enzymatically hydrolyzed solubilized milk protein (casein) available from Quest, Bromborough, United Kingdom. Dextrose was supplied as a monohydrate. The ice content at -18 ° C was calculated using the method described on pages 14 to 16 of WO 98/41109.

5 The mixture was divided into three parts and frozen by the routes of procedure A, B and C, respectively. For the route C procedure, the solids content of the mixture is so low that the freezer drum froze up, that is, initially the ice formed very quickly on the barrel walls and the scraper was not able to scratch it. all. As a result, the freezer could only work for a very short period of time, enough to pick up a small amount of product for testing. The properties

10 mechanical bars of frozen confectionery product were measured as described above. Results are shown in table 2.

Table 2

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa)

1A

72 (± 16) 0.18 (± 0.04)

1 B

160 (± 26) 0.46 (± 0.06)

1 C

380 (± 46) 0.96 (± 0.06)

Example 1A according to the invention had a substantially lower modulus and resistance than those of the

15 comparative examples, less than half that of example 1 B (frozen rest) and less than one fifth than example 1C (continuous milk ice cream freezer), although all three samples had exactly the same ice content .

The samples also ate. Example 1A had to be unmold and handled very carefully since the bars showed a tendency to crumble because they were soft. The samples could be bitten

20 easily. Example 1B could barely bite. Example 1C could not be bitten and when cut with a sharp knife it would break audibly and break sharply.

In order to confirm that the soft character was not the result of the incorporation of a large amount of air into the samples, the swelling of Example 1A was measured using the Archimedes principle. A beaker of cold water was placed on a scale and the change in apparent weight was recorded when the sample was maintained

25 underwater, as described on pages 177-179 of “The Science of Ice Cream,” C. Clarke, RSC, Cambridge 2004. The sponge was determined to be 8%.

Example 2: Tomato Sorbet

A mixture was prepared with the following formulation:

Table 3

Ingredient

% in weigh

Saccharose

1.5

Dextrose

4,5

Corn syrup ED 28

3.0

Guar gum

0.2

Flavors

0.3

Hyfoama DS *

0.2

Tomato puree

fifteen

Salt

0.1

Water

up to 100

Total solids

13.7

Ice content at -18 ° C

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The ED 28 (glucose) corn syrup was C * Dry ™ GL 01924, supplied by Cerestar (France) and had a moisture content of 22% by weight. Under dry conditions, it consists of 3% glucose, 11% maltose, 16.5% maltotriose and 69.5% higher saccharides. The tomato puree contained 30% solids.

The mechanical properties of the bars of frozen confectionery products were measured as described above. The results are shown in Table 4.

Table 4

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa)

2A

112 (± 14) 0.41 (± 0.03)

2B

155 (± 13) 0.56 (± 0.04)

2 C

378 (± 40) 1.01 (± 0.12)

Again, the example according to the invention (2A) had a significantly lower modulus and resistance 10 than the comparative examples (2B, 2C). The swelling of example 2A was determined to be 2%.

Example 3: Milk Ice Cream

An ice cream mixture of milk was prepared with the following formulation: Table 5

Ingredient (% by weight)

3

Fructose

5.0

Locust bean gum

0.2

Skimmed milk powder

5.0

Whey powder

2.0

Coconut oil

2.0

Water

up to 100

Total solids

13.9

Ice content at -18 ° C

80

15 Skimmed milk powder has a moisture content (water) of approximately 4%. The whey powder was Avonol 600 and also has a moisture content of approximately 4%.

The samples were prepared through routes of procedure A and C. For the route of procedure A, the samples

They were removed from the slush machine after 1 day (at a temperature of -2.2 ° C) and 3 days (at -2.8 ° C). Figure 3

It shows photographs of the samples taken from the slush machine after (a) 1 day and (b) 3 days. Each sample was placed in a Petri dish to form a monolayer of ice particles and then

froze at -28 ° C. The Petri dish was placed in a lighting box and a digital photograph was taken. The picture

shows approximately spherical ice particles approximately (a) 2 mm in diameter after 1

day and (b) 4 mm in diameter after 3 days in the slush machine. The mechanical properties of the bars of the

Frozen confectionery products were measured as described above. The results are shown in Table 6. The sponge of the samples was also measured and determined to be less than 1% in each case.

Table 6

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa)

3A (1 day)

114 (± 12) 0.34 (± 0.01)

3A (3 days)

49 (± 6) 0.23 (± 0.01)

3C

161 (± 19) 0.37 (± 0.04)

Example 3A after 1 day in the slush machine had a significantly lower modulus and resistance than Comparative Example 3C. The module and the resistance of the 3-day sample are even smaller.

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Examples 4, 5: Fruit pole

Mixtures consisting of pure apple juice (example 4) and orange juice (example 5) were used. The total solids content of fruit juices and the ice content at -18 ° C are shown in Table 7.

Table 7

4

5

Total solids

10.9 13.8

Ice content at -18 ° C

81.2 80.1

The samples were prepared by routes of procedure A, B and C. The mechanical properties of the bars of the frozen confectionery product were measured as described above. The results are shown in Table 8.

Table 8

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa)

4A

144 (± 40) 0.12 (± 0.03)

4B

471 (± 41) 0.68 (± 0.06)

4C

631 (± 69) 1.00 (± 0.28)

5A

95 (± 17) 0.10 (± 0.01)

5B

255 (± 36) 0.38 (± 0.07)

5C

673 (± 66) 1.17 (± 0.22)

10

Again, the examples according to the invention (4A, 5A) had a significantly lower modulus and resistance than the comparative examples (4B, 4C, 5B, 5C).

Example 6

Example 6 demonstrates an alternative process according to the invention in which the frozen particles are formed separately from the mixture, and then combined before the subsequent cooling step. A mixture was prepared with the following formulation:

Table 9

Ingredient

% in weigh

Saccharose

15.1

Dextrose

4.3

Locust bean gum

0.48

Citric acid

1.1

Xanthan gum

0.8

Water

up to 100

Total Solids Mix

21.4

% Ice added

51.0

Total solids of frozen confectionery product

10.5

Ice content of frozen confectionery product at -18 ° C

83.8

Water was dripped through nozzles (1 mm internal diameter) in liquid nitrogen, where it froze

20 rapidly in approximately spherical particles of 1 to 4 mm. The ice particles were removed from the liquid nitrogen bath and kept at -6 ° C. 970 g of the particles were dispersed in 931 g of the mixture (which had been cooled to 2 ° C) and stirred. This dispersion was poured into pre-cooled molds and frozen at -25 ° C. Xanthan gum helped ensure that the ice particles remained uniformly dispersed in the mixture during freezing. The mechanical properties of frozen confectionery bars were measured

25 as described above. Example 6 had a low Young's modulus and resistance shown in Table 10.

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Table 10

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa)

6

94 (± 13) 0.17 (± 0.01)

Example 7

Example 7 demonstrates another alternative method according to the invention in which the frozen particles are formed separately from the mixture, and then combined before the subsequent cooling step. A mixture was prepared with the following formulation:

Table 11

Ingredient

% in weigh

Saccharose

8.51

Dextrose

2.43

Locust bean gum

0.27

Citric acid

0.61

Orange flavor

0.11

Curcumin

0.01

Beta carotene 10%

0.02

Hygel

0.20

Water

up to 100

Total Solids Mix

12.0

% Ice added

35

Total solids of frozen confectionery product

7.8

Ice content of frozen confectionery product at -18 ° C

86

The mixture was passed through a Crepaco WO4 ice cream freezer (a surface heat exchanger

10 scraped) where it cooled to a temperature of -1.9 ° C without aeration, forming an ice suspension containing approximately 40% by weight of small ice crystals. A Ziegra ZBE 4000-4 ice machine (ZIEGRA-Eismaschinen GmbH, Isernhagen, Germany) was used to produce ice particles measuring approximately 5 x 5 x 5-7 mm. The ice particles were fed to the partially frozen mixture stream as they left the freezer, using a FF4000 Hoyer fruit feeder (popsicle type). The

The flow rate of the partially frozen mixture of the freezer and the rate of ice addition was controlled to give the desired amount of large ice particles (35% by weight of the dispersion). This dispersion was then passed through a size reduction device (a crushing pump), as described in WO 2006/007922, with a separation size of 4 mm. The size reduction device ensures that the ice particles were reduced to a size of no more than 4 mm in diameter.

20 The resulting dispersion contained 35% by weight of large particles (-4 mm) of ice and approximately 26% by weight (ie 40% of 65%) of small ice crystals (-0.2 mm). This dispersion was then placed in a MultiFreeze 228 / Vip slush machine where it was kept refrigerated at -1.2 to -1.5 ° C and allowed to recrystallize. Samples were removed from the slush machine after 2 hours and 22 hours, extruded into pre-cooled and hardened molds at -25 ° C. A comparative example was taken directly from the crushing pump and placed in

25 molds, so that the small ice crystals did not recrystallize. The mechanical properties and the sponge of the frozen confectionery bars were measured as described above. The results are shown in Table 12.

Table 12

Example

Module (MPa) Resistance (MPa) Sponge (%)

0 hours in the slush machine

328 ± 63 0.58 ± 0.07 2.7

2 hours in the slush machine

145 ± 14 0.18 ± 0.01 8.0

22 hours in the slush machine

86 ± 9 0.11 ± 0.01 6.7

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Samples taken directly from the crushing pump (which contained a substantial amount of small ice crystals) had a Young's modulus and strength substantially greater than the samples that had been allowed to recrystallize in the slush machine. A longer time in the slush machine resulted in a softer frozen confectionery product, that is, minimizing the amount of very small ice crystals at the beginning of the subsequent cooling stage resulted in softer products.

In summary, the previous examples show that frozen confectionery products that have a low solids content and a low sponge were remarkably soft when most of the ice was present as approximately large spherical particles.

Claims (17)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 1. A process for manufacturing a frozen confectionery product having a total solids content of 5 to 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product and a sponge of less than 20%, the process comprising: a) preparing a dispersion comprising: 25% to 75% by weight of frozen particles having an average size of 1 to 10 mm and an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less; and 75% to 25% by weight of a mixture; b) subsequently cool the dispersion to below -10 ° C

2.

A process according to claim 1, wherein at least 80% by weight of the frozen particles have a size of 1 to 10 mm.

3.

A process according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the frozen particles have an average size of 2 to 5 mm.

Four.

 A process according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the total solids content of the frozen particles is less than 5% by weight.

5.

 A process according to claim 4, wherein the frozen particles are ice.

6.

 A process according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the total solids content of the mixture is 15 to 40% by weight.

7.

 A process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in step b) the dispersion is cooled below -18 ° C.

8.

A process according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the dispersion is formed by preparing the frozen particles and mixing together.

9.

 A process according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the frozen particles and the mixture are prepared separately and then combined to form the dispersion.

10.

 A frozen confectionery product having a total solids content of 5 to 15% by weight of the frozen confectionery product, a sponge of less than 20% and a Young's modulus of less than 150 MPa at -18 ° C; the frozen confectionery product comprising frozen particles having an average size of 1 to 10 mm and an average elongation ratio of 1.5 or less, in an amount of 25 to 75% by weight of the frozen confectionery product.

eleven.

A frozen confectionery product according to claim 10, wherein the frozen particles have an average size of 2 to 5 mm.

12.

A frozen confectionery product according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the total solids content of the frozen particles is less than 5% by weight.

13.

 A frozen confectionery product according to claim 12, wherein the frozen particles are ice.

14.

A frozen confectionery product according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the solids content of the frozen confectionery product is 8 to 12% by weight.

fifteen.

A frozen confectionery product according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the foam is less than 10%.

16.

A frozen confectionery product according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the ice content of the frozen confectionery product is greater than 80% by weight.

17.

A frozen confectionery product according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the frozen confectionery product has a resistance of less than 0.5 MPa at -18 ° C.

14